Whale in the Manasquan Inlet

For my money, Manasquan, NJ, is one of the best places on earth. There's friendly people, great beaches, occasional Springsteen sightings, a legendary surf break—and nowhere I've ever been does the hours of 12-2 a.m. quite like Leggett's Sand Bar. For generations now, the Koenig clan has headed down to 'Squan for fun and relaxation. But none of us had ever seen a whale there. That is until the day before Thanksgiving when my cousin Doug went striper fishing off his friends boat just outside the Manasquan Inlet, and the estimated 30-foot humpback in the video above breached 20 feet off his port. He said some spearfisherman came within 10 feet of getting squashed. Pretty cool. We don't see many whales off the Jersey shore. Enjoy the video, nothing much happens until about 1:15, but the little kids' reaction to the whale is worth the wait.